Model Aline Weber on How Growing up in Small-Town Brazil Shaped her Style

If there was to be a personification of summer, it would be the beach babe—or rather, perpetually sand-strewn vixen—Aline Weber. With flaxen hair, legs for days, and a smoldering pout, the Brazilian model is a dead ringer for Brigitte Bardot—and even played a scene-stealing Bardot lookalike in **Tom Ford’**s film A Single Man.

Here, Weber reflects back on her early life and career—from her mother's handmade clothing to her inherited bohemian sense of beach culture.

Instagram:@alineweber_realI grew up in Seara Santa Catarina, a small town in the Brazilian countryside. Back then there were about 5,000 people living there, like a village! The inhabitants are mostly of German descent and a lot of the older people speak German with a heavy Brazilian accent. My family settled in Brazil from Germany over 100 years ago.

In Brazil, everyone has a bohemian, laid-back style of dressing—mostly because of the beach culture. When people do dress up, it is for Carnival, where people cut their shirts or wear shiny and colorful costumes. Other than that, it is relaxed.

I didn’t start learning about fashion until after I was discovered at my father’s grocery shop. Everyone knew that he had two tall daughters. Once I was signed to an agency, I went to São Paulo and starting buying magazines and began to learn about different brands. Plus, my agents would also teach me about what designers to know and which ones were iconic.

When I was a kid, I never really cared about how I dressed—just jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers. There were never many clothing stores—probably only about three—and if you wanted something different you’d have to travel to the next town. We never had brand clothes and people didn’t even know who Calvin Klein was. My mother would often sew skirts or dresses for my sister and me for special events. My mother’s handmade clothing was probably my first fashion moment growing up, as well as my favorite.